ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

A video, showing missiles’ launches from the S-300PMU-2 air defense system in Iran, has been for the first time published online. Photo: YouTube / prtrtur The first video, showing a process of missiles’ launches from the S-300PMU-2 air defense missile weapon system in Iran has been published online. Initially, information about signing a contract for supply of the S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems from Russia to Iran appeared in November 2015. At that date, CEO of the Rostec state corporation, Sergei Chemezov, said that Iranian military were going to receive four divisions of the S-300PMU-2. Previously, they were meant for Syria, but had not been handed over to the Arab country at a request of Israel. According to the Kommersant newspaper, the deal value was approximately $1 billion. The newspaper noted that the customer could get the weapon systems about 18 months after the contract’s conclusion that meant that the first S-300PMU-2s would be transferred to Tehran not earl...

Written by Sophie Mangal; Originally appeared at GlobalResearch The U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis had presented a preliminary version of the Pentagon’s new plan to rapidly defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria during a meeting of the White House Principals Committee, a Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said оn February, 28. The plan involves making a “devastating impact” on the terrorist group. According to Davis, the document calls on all the branches of the U.S. government, diplomatic, financial and intelligence elements of national power as well as cyber-security agencies to unite and intensify joint actions. The plan is transregional and is aimed at defeating such terror groups as Al-Qaeda and ISIS around the globe. It also proposes to increase the U.S. military contingent in Syria and to cut off terrorists’ funding. However, after close examination Pentagon’s proposals raise a lot of provocative questions and may come in for sharp criticism. First of all, some W...

A Saudi strategic military base, located in Najran province in the southwestern part of the kingdom, was struck and destroyed by the Zalzal-2 missile, launched by the Houthi-Saleh alliance, according to pro-Yemeni sources. The alliance launched several Katyusha rockets on the Saudi Rajla military base and then totally destroyed it with the Zalzal-2 missile. There are no reports about the number of casualties, suffered by the Saudi side. On Monday, the Houthi-Saleh alliance launched missiles and artillery shells on the al-Shabakeh and al-Fawaz military bases of the Saudi Army, located in the provinces of Najran and Jizan in the southern part of the kingdom. As a result, the bases were destroyed. Meanwhile, the al-Beit al-Abya, al-Sudanieh and al-Jabaneh military bases, located in Jizan province, were also hit by the alliance’s missiles. Saudi troops suffered heavy losses in the attacks. At the same time, a Saudi border guard lost his life at the al-Hanjar military base, located in the...

These maps show the military situation in Palmyra and its countryside: Click to see the full-size map Click to see the full-size map Photos of the Palmyra Citadel and the Roman Theater via ANNA news reporter Oleg Blokhin: